


Charging

by ArwenAileon



Category: Humans (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 18:35:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8764417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArwenAileon/pseuds/ArwenAileon
Summary: When he’s thirteen and about to charge by himself for the first time, Leo thinks he’ll never get used to this.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written as a prompt for ottermo's 30 day fanworks challenge on Tumblr.

When he’s thirteen and about to charge by himself for the first time, Leo thinks he’ll never get used to this.

It’s not that he’s a stranger to the flicker of electricity running under his skin. It was the first thing he felt when his father woke him up again. But that didn't help make it feel natural; it was something inside of him that he couldn’t control, that wasn’t flesh and blood but tiny pieces of metal and wires and electricity that had to run from his side to his head to keep him alive, almost like blood but at the same time feeling nothing like it. All what made him feel less like a human and more like a synth.

This would be the first time he’d get to sleep in his bed since he was brought back to life. His father had given him a charging cable and his brothers and sisters had looked at him with mixed looks on their faces. They had agreed to let him do this by himself even if they weren’t exactly happy about it, but he’s grateful for that. Leo believes this is something he has to process by himself, to let the reality of what his life is like now sink in.

But as he stares at the cable in his hand, he realizes that maybe he isn’t as ready to be alone as he thought he’d be. It was easy to not think too much about his death when the others were around. They all made sure to keep his mind from wandering back to the bottom of the lake. Niska would play him a new soothing melody she'd learnt whenever his headaches got too bad; Maxie would show him the new leaves he'd collected for him; Fred would always come up with the weirdest and funniest stories to get a laugh out of him; Mia stayed by his side all the time, not even leaving him to charge herself, just so Leo would never feel alone.

He can feel the tears starting to cloud his vision and by this point he's not even sure he knows what really causes them anymore. He lets out a shaky breath, then runs his fingers over his clear-shaved head. His hair would grow again, with time. He kind of wishes it were the same for all the other broken parts of him.

The door creaks as it opens and he looks up to see Mia standing there, probably wanting to check on him. She has that look on her face, one he has grown very used to these days, so filled with love and concern but also relief that he’s alive, that the lake didn’t completely claim his life. Leo looks away from her face and back to the cable in his hand and somehow, he thinks she understands. It doesn’t surprise him at all when he feels the weight shift on the bed as she sits next to him. She places a hand on his back and moves it gently over it.

“It will be alright.”

Her voice is barely a whisper and he gives her a sharp nod. He wants to believe her, he really does. But at least having her next to him and knowing that the others are there for him too, makes it easier to think that maybe someday he will be.


End file.
